Review to come in November on my blog/Goodreads/Amazon.


I received this picture book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

A delightful spin on the Cinderella fairy tale. What if the wrong maiden got the slippers... and what if they fitted her perfectly?

The book is all about our shoemaker, he tells us in rhyme about his life and his work. All told in a very annoying scroll kind of manner. I actually was happy when that scroll wasn't there in some of the pages. We see him meet the godmother, though for some reason she forgot the shoes (who forgets the shoes????) and she is out of power (what is she a battery???). Thankfully this bland shoemaker has the shoe for her.

We learn how the shoe fitted another maiden, and I had quite a laugh though I wished that he would have been honest and said no. I get it dude, you love her, but she is clearly more invested in the prince than you. Sorry guy. Counterfeit is probably not going to work for you. Plus, not to mention you are ruining the chances of that other girl who, as you know, has a pretty crappy life. She could lead a life of happiness and joy.

I was so not a fan of Mona, what a total wart. Way too desperate and the prince was also not helping. Dude, if you think something is amiss, then just search her bag or check things out. *sighs* Fairy tales....

I had a laugh at the very angry fairy godmother popping up, dang she looks so sweet and cute but she can also look fierce and bloodthirsty, I actually feel sorry for those people who cross her path the wrong way.

The magic part and how they went on to fix it was pretty fun and I was happy that it would probably end the way I hoped it would end. Though I am still not shipping Mona and the shoemaker together. Oh no. I was just rolling my eyes at it all. Why does it have to end like this? *sighs* It was just way too convenient. Way too magical, even if the fairy states that she didn't hex Mona with a love spell. I am fairly certain she did.

So, quite an interesting twist on the fairy tale story, but yeah, I am not too delighted with it in the end. Happy for Cinderella, and I guess for the shoemaker, but with the exception of Cinderella's happy ending, I just didn't feel the shoe maker's one.
But the art was just fabulous, I love the style so much. And the rhyming was fun too. I will still be rating this a 3 star, which still means I mostly enjoyed myself!

*thank you to Netgalley, Schiffer Publishing Ltd and the author, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

5 stars.

Wow. Ok give me a moment to absorb all of this!

I feel so completely overwhelmed right now with how much love I feel for this book. I feel almost close to tears. Picture books just don't have this impact on me but by God this one has actually hit me hard!

The illustrations stole my breath away. The colours, the details of the drawings, simply all of it was a pure genius work of wonderful art. I just want to reach out and touch them!

I think I got maybe 6 pages into this and had to put it down to take a moment. The beauty is just too much! It sounds ridiculous but this..... Yeah. No words. Hands down this is my favourite picture book of the year.

This is a retelling of a classic favourite for many many people, Cinderella. The story is both funny and sweet and such fun to read. Expecually liked how they snuck in the Alice in Wonderland line! That was a treat. (Ha! See, I can rhyme just like in the book!)

I can definitely see this book winning awards and as soon as it becomes available to buy I'm getting my hands on a copy of this gem.

I can not recommended this book highly enough. And that's saying alot.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Charmingly funny with visually engaging illustrations. This is a fun take on the classic Cinderella which follows the actions of a love-lorn shoemaker as he does what he thinks will make his beloved happiest. This reminded me of Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes and I can see my upper KS2 pupils really enjoying this.

I thought this story was such a unique, adorable spin-off of a behind-the-scenes Cinderella tale. I was tickled by the extensive vocabulary as well as the rhyming component. This entire story was engaging, clever and definitely held an amusing edge; the illustrations were lively and animated. The one thing that was slightly noticeable was the rhyming seemed to stop in some parts of the tale, and it came across as disjointed.
If the Shoe Fits is a book that will compel children to read and gain a strong vocabulary in the process of laughing uproariously. Two thumbs up, Deborah Guarino!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A playful take on the Cinderella story, with lively illustrations to match the silly rhyming text. I would say there are possibly too many "big" words for younger preschoolers, but ages 5 and up are going to have a ball with this one!

Here is the next book for that awesome twisted fairy tale unit (sometimes in 4th grade? sometimes in middle school?). This one is fun and not about the wolf and the three pigs so it's a win to put in the pile and have as an example of how to flip a fairytale.

I enjoyed the whimsy, I enjoyed the atmosphere, and the main character was endearing and had a solid voice.

My only critique is that the poetry switched rhyming schemas throughout the book and this book really should have fun tempo and flair so this bothered me a bit.. alas.

Otherwise fun.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cinderella might be the most popular fairy tale in the world. It seems as if each culture has its own version, there are the off shoots such as Coat of Many Furs, there are movies and more movies, the character appears in I don’t know how many books. There is even a short novel told from the viewpoint of one the transformed rats.
So, do we really need another Cinderella story?
Well, we do need If the Shoe Fits, so it’s a yes.
This short children’s book focuses on the shoemaker who created those glass slippers. The fairy godmother turns to him because her magic is temporally depleted. You try creating a dress, coach, horses, and entourage without getting tired. What then enfolds is actually a story about what love really is.
The shoemaker Murray is caught between what the love of his life truly desires and what he wants – to marry the love of his life. That is really what this child’s book is about - what love is. The thing about some Cinderella stories, the Disney cartoon in particular, is the question about love – would you want your daughter to marry some dude she dances with just once. And before everyone starts with the “but it is a fairy tale and it means”- I know. Okay?
But in the hands of Guarino and Hippen, love takes center stage. Murray is totally motivated by love; the choices he makes are based on his love for Mona who really wants to marry a prince. It really is a wonderful story about what love means.
Hippen’s illustrations are the right balance of whimsey and realism.

It’s sweet.

This was a cute spin off the classic Cinderella story. I loved the rhythm of the words and the cute illustrations. My nieces and nephews got a lot of laughs out of this one!

I was over the moon excited when I saw the cover of <i>If the Shoe Fits</i> by Deborah Guarino and illustrated by Seth Hippen. Not only does it give you the most wonderful insight into what the story will be about--hello, fairy godmother and glass slipper--but the artwork is, quite simply, phenomenal. <i>If the Shoe Fits</i> is a Cinderella retelling--I'm sure you all know how much I love those--about a fairy godmother who ran out of magic building the most extravagant clothes and transportation for her goddaughter and absentmindedly forgot entirely about footwear. And so, in a fluttery flurry of a scramble to get Cinderella to the ball in time, she turns to the local shoemaker for the finest shoes that he has available with a promise of payment later once her magic has recharged. Of course, since the shoemaker already had glass slippers, the truth of the matter is that he can make more and who's to tell who might fit into them?

I <i>adored</i> nearly every single bit of this story. The plot was fantastic, the artwork more beautiful than I could have imagined, and the rhyming pattern of the words really drew me in. It's definitely a book I could see myself owning and will definitely be picking up at some point in my future. The story is hilarious in a great many ways and the adorkable main character, the shoemaker, is easy to feel for. You just want to root for him the entire time and wish him all the best in the world. So, while this is certainly a Cinderella retelling, the important thing to note here is that this is the shoemaker's story. It is not, in fact, Cinderella's.

I have almost nothing but praise for this tale, my only complaint initially being the fact that the poetry-like narration didn't always flow perfectly. I would get thrown off a couple of times by the fact that certain lines would be much longer than others. The sing-song quality that it might have had was missing in some parts--not all--as a result of this. Ultimately, I didn't see this as a huge problem and it was definitely easy to overlook for the most part. But, as a writer and voracious reader, it was noticeable enough to be mildly annoying.

The single piece of this story that I did not like and wish had been done away with entirely was the bit at the end where a somewhat problematic event occurred (and spoilers ahead for those who don't want to read them, I would suggest pausing here and not finishing this paragraph). The fairy godmother cast a spell upon Mona, the shoemaker's love and the woman he helped fool the prince into thinking she fit the slipper. It was just incredibly problematic to me that the author would go about making magic the reason that Mona decided to be with the shoemaker. And while credit is due in the fact that the shoemaker protested this spell, saying he wanted Mona to love him for himself and not because of some spell. But then the fairy went on to say that the spell was something about clearing Mona's head of her desires to be a princess who marries a prince and that was just...not okay. Frankly, how they got together was rather cringey, especially these days. I'd much rather Mona have realized what she wanted for herself. After everything the shoemaker did for her, it wouldn't really be all that much of a stretch for her to realize she loved him. No spell was needed. That fairy godmother was a dolt.

Aside from that one issue, this was a lovely story with a fantastically hilarious plot. The artwork was some of the best I've ever seen and I definitely imagine I would read this story again in the future. It was definitely an enjoyable read, so much so that I found myself rather upset that I couldn't finish it when I started because I had to go back to work.

<i>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

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What a lovely and fresh take on a so well known story. I really enjoyed the new plot twists and how it all came together at the end. It's quite a short story but that doesn't mean you enjoy it any less. Apart from the plot, the art reminded me slightly of illustrations of Snow White and the seven dwarfs, which I love. That being said the illustrator does have his own, very unique style that I like. It's fun, it's captivating, just like the plot of the story. I'm sure that anyone who reads this book will have at the end a smile on their faces. And that's what books such as this are meant for. A truly enjoyable read.